Forest Gate: Police station fire under control but roof 'completely destroyed'

A fire at a police station in east London has been brought under control, the London Fire Brigade has said.

Around 175 firefighters and 30 engines attended Forest Gate Police Station in Romford Road after a fire broke out at around 16:00 GMT on Wednesday.

The fire brigade later said the roof of the building had been "completely destroyed" but that no injuries had been reported.

Police said the incident was not initially being treated as suspicious.

They added that policing operations in the area would be able to continue as normal.

The fire is believed to have broken out on the third floor, police said.

Photos from the scene showed large amounts of smoke billowing from the length of the building's roof.

Firefighters from Stratford, Leytonstone, Plaistow and other nearby stations were sent to help local crews.

Four long turntable ladders were deployed to help tackle the fire from above, while drones were used to give firefighters a better view of the blaze.

The fire brigade said the fire had been prevented from spreading to adjacent buildings.

An investigation has been opened into the fire's cause.

In a video posted to social media, Superintendent Dan Card said: "The fire has now been contained and the cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious at this stage.

"I'd like to reassure the residents of Newham that our policing response in the area has not been affected and we are able to continue to do our job of keeping the people of Newham and London safe."

Residents in the area were earlier told to keep their doors and windows shut because of the amount of smoke.

A number of roads were also closed and people were asked to avoid the area.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was in close contact with the fire commissioner.

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